Author: Gulf News Week

Syrian Red Crescent convoy enters Suwayda province, state media reports, as UN warns humanitarian access is ‘constrained’.A humanitarian aid convoy has reached Syria’s Druze-majority Suwayda province as the United Nations warns that the humanitarian situation remains critical after last week’s deadly clashes displaced thousands and left essential services in ruins.Clashes in Druze-majority Suwayda province, which began on July 13 and ended with a ceasefire a week later, initially involved Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes, who have been fighting for decades. Later, government forces joined the fighting on the side of the Bedouin armed groups.State television reported on Monday that…

Antonio Guterres calls for ‘a decisive turning point’ at international conference boycotted by the US and Israel.Dozens of ministers have gathered at a United Nations conference to urge the world to work towards a two-state solution between Israelis and the Palestinians, but the United States and Israel have boycotted the event.The 193-member UN General Assembly decided in September last year that such a conference would be held in 2025.Hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, the conference was postponed in June after Israel attacked Iran.Addressing the attendees on Monday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud urged all countries…

The RSF-backed parallel government could complicate peace talks and cement a de facto partition in Sudan, say analysts.The Tasis Alliance, a coalition of Sudanese armed groups formed in February, has unveiled a parallel ”transitional peace” government to rival Sudan’s wartime government in Port Sudan.Tasis is based on a partnership between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), a powerful armed group that controls swaths of South Kordofan and Blue Nile states in southern Sudan.SPLM-N has been fighting a rebellion against the central government and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for 40 years – a conflict…

Global hunger fell in 2024 for a third straight year, but conflict and climate shocks deepened crises in Africa and the Middle East.Global hunger levels declined for a third consecutive year in 2024, according to a new United Nations report, as better access to food in South America and India offset deepening malnutrition and climate shocks in parts of Africa and the Middle East.Around 673 million people, or 8.2 percent of the world’s population, experienced hunger in 2024, down from 8.5 percent in 2023, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, jointly prepared by…

Israeli-Palestinian human rights group B’Tselem has declared Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide in its latest report.Israeli-Palestinian human rights group B’Tselem has declared Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide in its latest report, titled Our Genocide.The report, released on Monday, carries strong condemnation of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed at least 59,733 people and wounded 144,477.“An examination of Israel’s policy in the Gaza Strip and its horrific outcomes, together with statements by senior Israeli politicians and military commanders about the goals of the attack, leads to the unequivocal conclusion that Israel is taking coordinated action to intentionally destroy…

An infant is among at least 14 people who died from malnutrition in 24 hours across Gaza, source at al-Shifa Hospital tells media.At least 14 Palestinians, including two children, have died from hunger and malnutrition in Gaza in 24 hours, according to health authorities, as United States President Donald Trump says there are signs of “real starvation” in the besieged territory.The deaths pushed the number of those who have died from malnutrition since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023 to 147, including 88 children, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Monday.Most of the deaths have…

US president has upped rhetoric as Iran maintains it will push forward with nuclear programme after US strikes.United States President Donald Trump has re-upped threats against Iran, just weeks after launching military strikes on three of the country’s nuclear facilities.The statement on Monday was in response to Tehran’s position that it will continue to pursue nuclear enrichment for civilian purposes, a red line for the Trump administration in earlier talks this year that fell apart when Israel launched a military offensive against Tehran in June.Speaking during a news conference in Scotland beside the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump…

The longest river in the world is a shared natural resource and should be used under a cooperative framework.In a couple of weeks, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the biggest hydroelectric dam on the African continent, will be inaugurated. The construction of this dam has taken more than a decade and has cost nearly $5bn. The government and people of Ethiopia mobilised the funds for this national project from their meagre internal resources. No international financing was made available for this project.While the construction of the dam has received some international media attention, the media coverage has not made…

As more than 100 Palestinians starve to death in Gaza, many question the goals of the US- and Israel-backed GHF. A choice between starvation or being shot at. That’s the decision many Palestinians in Gaza have been forced to make. More than 900 people have been killed at the GHF’s aid distribution sites. Why is this happening, and what is being done to make it stop? In this episode: Diana Buttu (@dianabuttu) – Human Rights Lawyer and Analyst Episode credits: This episode was produced by Tracie Hunte, Sarí el-Khalili, and Diana Ferrero with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Melanie Marich, Tamara…

Israel attacks ‘safe zones’ in Gaza as six more Palestinians, including two children, die from malnutrition.Israeli forces have killed at least 63 people across Gaza, hours after the military announced it would begin “pausing” attacks for 10 hours daily in some areas to allow humanitarian aid to pass through. On Sunday, the Israeli army said it would temporarily halt military activity each day from 10am to 8pm (07:00-17:00 GMT) in parts of central and northern Gaza, including al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah and Gaza City. It also pledged to open designated aid corridors for food and medical convoys between 6am and 11pm.…